Bananas, as well as certain other fruits, are processed for ripening by flow of air and gas through the containers in which they are packaged and stacked for permitting the channeling of the gas. By establishing channels in container storage of the fruit, the circulation of gas or air or both through the load enhances a consistency in ripening the fruit. Respirating fruits (including tomatoes) have their ripening controlled by way of controlled atmospheres.
The storage, handling and the like of fruits has been carried out in containers or cartons made of corrugated paper materials, herein referred to as corrugated paperboard or corrugated paper.
Cartons most employed at present require a die cut machine to form multi-panel score lines in a blank to make a corrugated design of carton referred to in the industry as a die cut tray. There are other designs in use which require a stitch in the panels to maintain infolded panels of the tray in a set-up condition.
Another form of container usable for the handing, storage, etc. of fruit is a half-slotted container (HSC). Such a carton includes a lid and base of approximately equal depth, and the lid telescopically fits over the base to complete the container.
Other containers used for the purpose of handling and processing fruit are two-piece telescopic containers consisting of a full height base and a telescopically fitting top or base that is substantially the height of the base. The base and lid are provided with vent apertures, slots or the like to enable circulation of gas and air through the fruit. The double thickness of the walls of the lid and base assembled provide lateral strength and support for the container to minimize side bulging and to improve side wall support in the stacking of the containers in loads or stacks used to process and to store loads of the filled container.